April Color Challenge on Scrapjazz

I created this month's color challenge over at Scrapjazz this month. Pop on over and give it a try! If you do, please post a comment here, and I'll send you my email so that you can send your layout to me. I'll try to post them here on My Crafty Life, since there isn't a gallery for them on Scrapjazz. And, as always, remember to be your own crafty self.

Get More Bang for Your Buck

This is the first episode of My Crafty Life videos. It's a little rough around the edges, but it's the first craft video I've ever done. Sorry it got cut off at the end. What's missing is: "I used my Quickie Glue Pen and crystal glitter. Thanks for visiting, and remember to be your crafty self."

Welcome to My New Blog!

Welcome to my new Blogger Blog. You should be able to see all of my former Typepad posts, although some of them might look a little strange. The file conversion wasn't perfect, but I'm not going to sweat it. Typepad was becoming more and more troublesome and annoying, so I decided to move to Blogger. Plus, Blogger is free! Thanks for visiting; and, as always, be your own crafty self.

The Crafter's Workshop Templates

(Please note that I did not receive any compensation or products from The Crafter's Workshop for writing this article.)

Product Review: The Crafter’s Workshop Templates

by Jeanette
Giancaspro
(Mar 31, 2010)

When
I first started scrapbooking in 2001, I didn't even know about die-cut
machines. In fact, it wasn't until 2004 that I bought my first Sizzix
machine - the original one that weighs about a ton! Back then, I relied
on templates for all of my lettering and shapes. Some of my favorite
templates were, and still are, the ones from The Crafter's Workshop. In
this article, I will focus on some of my favorite doodling templates.

The first template I used was Dots & Circles.
In this Easter layout, I colored in the dots using a
white gel pen to add a fun, playful element to my pages about my
children decorating Easter eggs. Then I used a purple gel pen to create
a smaller circle of dots around the egg that I had quilled. The dots
also coordinated perfectly with the dots that were already on the
patterned paper, which added cohesiveness to the overall design.

I guess I really like dots
for my Easter pages, because I used this same template for another
Easter layout. Here I used the larger circle again, but this time I
used a black journaling pen to fill in the circles. You do have to be
careful when choosing a pen or marker to use with these templates,
because some will bleed under the template. I recommend testing them on
scrap paper first. Another alternative is to trace the circles with a
pencil, and then fill them in with a pen or marker.

This
time I used the template to create an element that connects my photos
and creates movement on my layout. Adding a few rhinestones kept the
mood playful and added a little sparkle. As you can see, you don't have
to use the entire template or shape either. Since I added the circle
after I had adhered the pictures, I didn't have to use the whole shape.
Another option for this template is to use it as a guide for perfect
placement of eyelets and brads, which I easily could have substituted
for my rhinestones.

Circle
Circle Dot Dot is another of my favorite doodling
templates by The Crafter's Workshop. This template has half-circles, a
dot border, a flower-burst design, and journaling lines, making it one
of the most versatile of all the templates this company makes. In the
Disney World layout below, I used the template to mimic the Magic
Kingdom sign in the photo. I used a pencil first to trace the dots and
flower bursts. Then I filled them in with a glue pen and added glitter
one color at a time.

Although I now have two die-cut machines, I
still like the portability and flexibility of TCW templates. The Doodle Flower
template is several templates in one. It is, obviously, a large flower
that can be traced and cut out. Within the flower, however, there are
lots of little designs that can be traced to use either with or without
the outer flower. In this layout about the many facets of my daughter's
personality, I traced and cut out two flowers and then cut each of them
in half. I followed that with some doodling inside the flowers and on
the page itself. A few metal flowers were all I needed to add to make
this one of my favorite layouts to this day.

These are only a few of the
many doodling and shape templates made by The Crafter's Workshop. There
is probably one that's perfect for the layout that you're working on
right now. Even if you have one of those sophisticated die-cutting
machines that are currently on the market, it's still easy, fun, and
very convenient to use templates to add that special something to your
layouts.

Another Scrapjazz Article

Check it out here:  The Crafter's Workshop Templates.

Revisiting my son's scrapbook

You know, there are just some layouts that remain my favorites, and it's usually because of the photos. Such is the case with this layout of David's first birthday. Looking at this layout, and the photos in it, brings me back 14 years. I remember that day as if it were yesterday. That's what scrapbooking is all about, though, isn't it? Documenting and preserving and celebrating the people, events, and memories that make up our lives.

O.K., I'm getting all teary-eyed now, so I'll just post the layout and go get some tissues. Thanks for stopping by!

Haley's Disney Layout

A few summers ago, Haley (my daughter) attended a scrapbook day camp for a week. They created the most adorable layouts. All they had to do was add photos when they took them home. Here is one of the layouts that Haley completed. I hope she finishes more of these, because this one is so cute! She really has a talent for this scrapbooking thing!

This was such a wonderful experience for her. Unfortunately, the store that held the camp has since closed. Maybe we'll do our own scrapbook camp this year!